The isolation of a table from building or floor vibrations is dependent upon the environment where the table is placed. A table on a high floor of a building may be primarily subject to the transverse sway of the building, while a table in the basement may see vertical floor vibrations from adjacent street traffic.
The legs of a vibration isolation table typically contain devices to reduce both the transverse and the vertical motion of the table top. Most of these devices are pneumatic. The techniques to limit the vertical motion usually employ inflated rubber bladders, elastic type materials, or active electronic circuits to sense and respond to vertical displacements. The techniques to limit transverse displacements usually employ a pendulum arrangement, elastic materials, or rubber bladders.